Step Afrika!
About
Step Afrika!, the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, brings a unique energy that will shake the floor and fill the air. Step Afrika! artists use their bodies as instruments and combine footsteps, claps, and spoken words to produce complex rhythms. Stepping is an American art form created by African-American college students and Step Afrika! tells this story while also teaching universal lessons of teamwork, discipline, and commitment. Students enjoy learning the history and culture of stepping while also discovering how dance unites people and cultures. Step Afrika! performs nationally, internationally, and all over the DC area.
Step Afrika!’s most recent international tours have promoted cultural dialogue and exchange in Jordan (2018), Ghana (2018). Croatia (2019), Ukraine (2019), Zambia (2019), Angola (2019), South Africa (2019), Dubai (2020), Poland (2022), Slovenia (2022), Bolivia (2022), and Kuwait (2023). In 2023, Step Afrika! was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor.
Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Under Mr. Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe and ranking as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the US.
Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
Step Afrika! promotes stepping as an educational tool for young people, focusing on teamwork, academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. The Company reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year through a 50-city tour of colleges and theaters and performs globally as Washington, DC’s one and only Cultural Ambassador.
Step Afrika! has earned Mayor’s Arts Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Innovation in the Arts, Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, and was inducted into the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Hall of Fame, the first Dance Company to earn this honor. Step Afrika! headlined President Barack Obama’s Black History Month Reception and performed at the first ever Juneteenth Celebration at the White House. The Company is featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture with the world’s first stepping interactive exhibit.
Virtual program options available – contact us for more information.
Step By Step
35-45 minutes of highly energetic, percussive unity in motion. In this assembly-sized, workshop-based program, with grade-specific options for grades ranging from Pre-K to 12, students enjoy learning step choreography and discovering how dance brings people together. The program introduces the ties between stepping, college life, and academic achievement while discovering the rhythm, physicality, and history of stepping. Our core pillars of teamwork, commitment, and discipline shine through as spectators join Step Afrika! and individual students become a team.
Single Program Base Fee with 2 artists: $955
Back-to-Back Programs Base Fee with 2 artists: $1,500
Stepping with Step Afrika!
A highly interactive 45-minute performance for K-12 students that highlights the rhythm, physicality, and history of stepping, culminating in a group activity to get students on their feet. The program introduces the ties between stepping, college life, and academic achievement. It introduces the concepts of teamwork, discipline, and commitment. Performers incorporate world traditions, demonstrated through the lively South African gumboot dance. Enjoy learning basic step choreography and discovering how dance brings people and cultures together.
Single $1,200/Back-to-Back $1,994
Step Afrika! Reads
A performance designed to encourage young children of all cultural and economic backgrounds to be active in a small group setting. It emphasizes the importance of parents reading to their children on a daily basis. The 35-minute program is structured for PreK to 2nd grade students and combines reading, exercise, and creative movement.
Single Program with 2 artists: $600
Back-to-Back Program with 2 artists: $1,200
Fees are for daytime school programs in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia only.
Evening, weekend, workshop, and non-school fees differ – please contact us.
Additional travel fees apply.
Larger groups may require additional artists. Please contact us to learn more about the package that would be best for you.
Besides being amazing, talented dancers, the performers also had the perfect level of engagement and tone for the middle school students. The performance EXCEEDED our expectations!!
– PTA Cultural Arts, Ridgeview Middle School (MCPS)
Our students and staff absolutely LOVED having Step Afrika! visit us… Our staff loved the connections to teamwork, discipline, and academic achievement… This was an incredibly engaging, exciting, and enriching experience for everyone!!
– Assistant Principal, Thomson Estates Elementary School (Cecil County Public Schools)
The performance left an indelible mark and my principal is looking forward to bringing Step Afrika back next year. I loved the interactive format of the show. The step club at my school had looks on their faces as if it was Christmas day. Thank you for sharing your art with us!
– World Language Dept. Chairperson, Step Club Advisor, Patterson Mill High School (HCPS)
We really enjoyed having Step Afrika! at our library and received a strong audience turnout and a great response from our community. The show was well-designed for a younger audience and the books that they selected to read were popular age-appropriate choices. The four members arrived early to set up and stayed late to speak with children and parents. We would definitely book Step Afrika! again in the future.
– Youth Services Manager, Beatley Central Library, Alexandria Library
There are no words to describe what an AMAZING event the Step Afrika event was today. The dancers were so personable, relatable and of course, so professional. I believe the students were able to understand Step from a historical standpoint as the dancers not only performed the art form of Step, but explained the many facets of Step. They also involved the students in the audience by teaching them how to Step, so it was a very interactive event.
– PTSA Vice President, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (MCPS)
This was a tremendous assembly that introduced students to a “new” way of dancing….students learned the historical, cultural, and social context of life in South Africa as well as college life in America.
– Assembly Coordinator, Saints Peter and Paul School
| Art Forms | |
|---|---|
| Audience Age | Adults, Elementary School, High School, Middle School, Preschool |
| Program Type | |
| Theme | Character/SEL, Language Arts, Social Studies, World Languages |